Winds of change

As Winnie the Pooh would say, it's a blustery day in the Hundred Acre Wood -- or in our case, the One Acre Wood. With gusts up to 40 mph or so, I thought it might even by Winds-Day already.

When I stopped to get gas this morning, my gloveless hands were freezing as the wind whipped all my hairspray out of my head. While I stood there shivering in our first "windchill" of fall, I thought, wow, I wish this wind could blow away some of these extra pounds, too. How about some of my troubles while it's at it.

Then I had my first cup of coffee and reality returned. Unfortunately, experience has taught me that for some things, there are no quick fixes -- not even cold, purpose-driven windblown ones. Most things I gotta tackle one day at a time, maybe just an hour at a time. The key is taking that first step. If your feet ain't moving, you ain't going anywhere!

I had this dream last night about a friend of mine who lives far, far away. I see her maybe 3 times a year. In this dream, I was surprised when I saw her. She had lost like 60 pounds and she looked awesome. How did you do it? I asked. Weight Watchers, she replied. I was immediately a little jealous of her success and a lot disgusted with my own efforts (or lack of them). If only I had stuck with the program, I'd be there, too!

When I awoke, that dream stuck with me all day. It definitely mirrors my current reality -- my current struggle, my current lack of dedication. In October, I got so caught up with my month of mini-vacations and travels (complete with many mammoth meals, of course), that I lost sight of my "plan" of action to lose weight. In fact, I completely lost the action part altogether. It's no wonder my progress has been reversed. I basically took a month off!

I know I didn't tack on the extra pounds overnight. And I know, as much as I hope and wish on stars, that it won't come off overnight either -- or in a strong windstorm. I need to pick up where I left off and start moving forward, just one step at a time.

If I'm lucky, there'll be times the wind is at my back, helping to push me along... maybe even bouncing along like Tigger in our One Acre Wood.